Although the enemy of the soul has received a mortal wound and knows his end, he nevertheless remains a very active tempter and continues his attacks. Very many people are under his power, sitting in the bonds of sin and in the prison of prejudice without even realizing what power they obey. But love delivers the tormented soul from Satan’s influence and gives it the right to freedom.
And the deeper a person has fallen, the more firmly Satan holds him. These bonds also hold those who have sold their souls to the devil and knowingly entered into a covenant with him. Now these people are Satan’s instruments for destroying others like themselves. They live in constant fear and are bound by circumstances, knowing no way out. But Jesus is able to set free every soul that believes in Him, acknowledges Him as Saviour, and begins to cry out for help. For this purpose, God chooses me as His instrument and representative.
The spiritual conflict between God and Satan has a rule according to which these supernatural powers do not enter into open battle to gain souls, but use people to accomplish their plans and purposes. They also exert spiritual influence in the form of thoughts and feelings, inviting people to choose one course of conduct or another, or to take part in the war.
And my will always faces the choice of which side to take. As a person who believes in God, I can choose between good and evil; I am free in my decision. And I choose God and His love. If a person is under Satan’s power, he too can choose, but only between evil and abhorrent evil. His will is obedient to Satan, who uses every means to persuade the soul not to turn to God for help and light. And evil is sin, which separates the soul from God and makes it Satan’s ally.
A soul under the power of dark forces knows no way out and is enslaved by the wicked one’s convictions. It is certain that there is no other path and that the condition in which the person finds himself is the only right one. But God loves the sinner and sends His children into his life. He pours His light into the kingdom of darkness in order to draw lost souls to Christ, give them something new and beautiful, heal the damaged mind, and fill hearts with hope, faith, and love.
God could very quickly gain the whole world and bring everyone to repentance if He permitted His angels to appear openly to fallen people, heal their diseases, and speak convincing words of truth. And the angels would gladly do this without growing weary and would labour until all people turned to the light. But this is contrary to the rules of spiritual warfare. God reveals Himself in this way only to particular people and makes them His prophets; then through them He declares His will.
God does not often address humanity directly with His voice. We know from Scripture that when God proclaimed His commandments, He did so Himself, speaking them with His own voice to all the people, and afterward He also wrote them upon stone with His own hand. We also read that the Father spoke to the people three times concerning Christ’s mission: at His baptism, on the Mount of Transfiguration, and in the temple when the Greeks sought Jesus. In other instances, people were always chosen through whom God revealed His will to humanity and manifested His power.
Christ was born as a man, and He was the true image of God, showing people with perfect accuracy the genuine character of God the Father. In Jesus the glory of God was revealed to this world. He is the Light, and the darkness comprehended it not. Every word of Christ has power and meaning; it works and to this day accomplishes the purpose for which it was spoken. Behind these words stand the power of God Himself and His entire army of angels, ready to perform and bring to life in people everything contained in them. But a person is needed who will read, hear, declare, or proclaim them.
If Satan appeared to this world in all his splendour and beauty, he could very quickly seduce everyone and convince them that he was right, performing miracles and signs before curious people. But he has not been given such power. We read that on one occasion he was permitted to appear visibly to Christ during the temptation in the wilderness, while in all other cases he used his agents who had come under his influence. The enemy of the soul also has prophets and people with whom he communicates directly and through whom he can manifest his strength and power.
The enemy of the human soul is also given the ability to put thoughts into a person’s mind, deceive trusting people, and persuade them to accept his ideas, using his own methods and instruments of influence.
Satan cannot read people’s thoughts; otherwise, he would become an omnipotent ruler and win on every front. But he can send temptations and afterward observe a person’s behaviour.
The deceiver of souls commands an entire army of fallen angels who are united in their plans and obedient to their leader. Each of them has his own sphere of influence and territory in which he has power over a person’s mind and body.
Our world is divided into spheres of influence belonging to good and evil. Unclean powers are permitted to have their places of vice, where they can destroy souls unhindered and devise their schemes. And God forbids His people to enter the enemy’s territory except when it is necessary to pull someone out and save him.
God likewise has His own special territory, where He has power to convince people of the truth and to destroy Satan’s plans and delusions.
The Bible is God’s territory, where the enemy has no power to change anything. But he tries to distort the simplicity of clear truths and, through his accomplices, persuade people to accept a distorted understanding of God’s character.
The church is a place of worship to God, and here the Creator has tremendous influence upon the mind of a person who worships Him in spirit and in truth. Yet the enemy of the soul has also set his hand to this place in order to create many denominations, confuse people, and fill the world with false teachings about God under the mantle of religion. But the Bible destroys such deceptions in the lives of those who know and study it.
Satan’s places of vice are known, and there is no need to list them. But there are also territories of the devil that I carry in my pocket and enter without thinking, not understanding that they are places of the enemy’s influence. Music, films, shows, news, advertising, games, pornography, dating, shopping, and similar things are all weapons of temptation available with a single movement of a finger. One touch of a smartphone screen, and I am in the enemy’s territory, and my soul tastes forbidden fruit. Some of these things may indeed contain an element of good, but the danger lies precisely in the fact that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil contains something good as well. Satan was once very good and knows how this affects the mind. And now his army includes many kind people who do much that is good for goodness’ sake, but their actions do not contain God’s love, which draws the soul to Christ.
Agape love is God’s territory, where the enemy has no power whatsoever. He cannot counterfeit such a way of thinking. God desires His people to possess this power of love and live in it, and then they will be God’s most powerful instrument in accomplishing His plans. Love and truth are two sisters who always labour together, and they draw souls to Christ, in Whom there is salvation and love.
Homework 114
What new things did you learn from this lesson? Why are angels not permitted to be visible? What power do angels have over people? What are the supernatural forces of good and evil fighting for? Why is a human being’s presence important in this spiritual conflict? Does all good come from God? If not, give biblical examples. Why is it dangerous to enter territory under Satan’s power? Please read Job 1:6–22; 2:1–10; Matthew 12:26; 16:23; Luke 22:3, 31–32; Acts 5:3; 2 Corinthians 11:13–14; and Revelation 20:10 in the light of our lesson.